The Dell Inspiron 6000 delivers top-end components like the latest-generation Centrino, a fast 60GB hard drive, and a dual-format DVD burnerall for under $1,000.

Penny-pinching no longer means making sacrifices, thanks to the Dell Inspiron 6000. This is one of the best notebooks you can currently get for less than $1,000 ($999 at time of testing), and is our new Editors' Choice for desktop-replacement value notebooks.

The notebook is not exactly thin and light, at 7.0 pounds, but you do get a 15.4-inch widescreen display, which is great for movie watching. (If you're looking for a smaller value notebook to travel with, check out our lightweight EC winner, the Averatec AV3270-EE1.) A set of DVD player controls sit in the front panel (Play/Pause, Stop, Rwd, Fwd, Volume Control). The Inspiron 6000 also comes with the Dell Media Experience software for organizing and managing digital media.

This system has everything the value notebook user needs. Like the smaller and lighter Averatec AV3270-EE1, it comes with a DVD±RWa rare value offering. The Inspiron 6000 has a multitude of connectivity options, including four USB ports, FireWire and S-Video Out ports, and an SD slot. To top it all off, it also includes a fast, 60GB 5,400-rpm hard drive instead of the slower 4,200-rpm drives offered by its peers.

The Inspiron 6000 was the only one that could pull together a sub-$1,000 system with Intel's latest-generation Centrino solutionPentium M 730 (1.6GHz) with 512MB DDR2 400 RAM, and 128MB Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 GM. This combo rocketed the Inspiron's performance to the top, way past the Averatec AV3270-EE1 with its 1.6-GHz Mobile AMD Sempron 2800+ and the HP Pavilion ze2001 with a last-generation, 1.5-GHz Pentium M 715. The Inspiron's BatteryMark score was a very impressive 5 hours 52 minutes.

Dell has never hit the value sweet spot like this before, always trumped by its competition. This time around, however, things are different. Just remember that the sub-$1,000 price tag is only available if you punch in Dell's e-code (1111-i6000PC), for a limited time only. (You can't configure this system for this price on the site.) With this in mind, even the most frugal shoppers will find it hard to pass up the Inspiron 6000.

Dell Inspiron 6000

Dell Inspiron 6000

Get Our Best Stories!

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.